Editing Fixed-wing aircraft (section)

====Applications====
[[Image:Chinese dragon kite (Berkeley, California - 2000).jpg|thumb|Chinese dragon kite more than one hundred feet long which flew in the [[Berkeley, California]], kite festival in 2000]]

=====Military =====
Kites have been used for signaling, for delivery of [[munition]]s, and for [[observation]], by lifting an observer above the field of battle, and by using [[kite aerial photography]].

=====Science and meteorology=====
Kites have been used for scientific purposes, such as [[Benjamin Franklin]]'s famous experiment proving that [[lightning]] is [[electricity]]. Kites were the precursors to the traditional [[aircraft]], and were instrumental in the development of early flying craft. [[Alexander Graham Bell]] experimented with large [[man-lifting kite]]s, as did the [[Wright brothers]] and [[Lawrence Hargrave]]. Kites had a historical role in lifting scientific instruments to measure atmospheric conditions for [[weather forecasting]].

=====Radio aerials and light beacons=====
Kites can be used to carry radio antennas. This method was used for the reception station of the first transatlantic transmission by [[Guglielmo Marconi|Marconi]]. [[moored balloon|Captive balloons]] may be more convenient for such experiments, because kite-carried antennas require strong wind, which may be not always available with heavy equipment and a ground conductor.

Kites can be used to carry light sources such as light sticks or battery-powered lights.

=====Kite traction=====
[[Image:Kite333.JPG|thumb|A quad-line traction kite, commonly used as a power source for [[kite surfing]]]]
Kites can be used to pull people and vehicles downwind. Efficient [[Foil kite|foil-type kites]] such as [[power kite]]s can also be used to sail upwind under the same principles as used by other sailing craft, provided that lateral forces on the ground or in the water are redirected as with the keels, center boards, wheels and ice blades of traditional sailing craft. In the last two decades, [[Kiteboarding|kite sailing]] sports have become popular, such as [[Kite buggy|kite buggying]], [[kite landboarding]], [[kiteboating|kite boating]] and kite surfing. [[Snowkiting|Snow kiting]] is also popular.

Kite sailing opens several possibilities not available in traditional sailing:

* Wind speeds are greater at higher altitudes
* Kites may be maneuvered dynamically, which dramatically increases the available force
* Mechanical structures are not needed to withstand bending forces; vehicles/hulls can be light or eliminated.

=====Power generation=====
{{See also|Laddermill|High altitude wind power}}
Research and development projects investigate kites for harnessing high altitude wind currents for electricity generation.<ref>{{cite web |author=Joseph Faust |url=http://energykitesystems.net/index.html |title=Kite Energy Systems |publisher=Energykitesystems.net |access-date=3 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824215911/http://www.energykitesystems.net/index.html |archive-date=24 August 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===== Cultural uses =====
Kite festivals are a popular form of entertainment throughout the world. They include local events, traditional festivals and major international festivals.